Fuel cells which convert chemical energy obtained by reacting a hydrogen-containing fuel gas and an oxygen-containing oxidizing gas into electric energy are known. Such a fuel cell may, for example, be installed on a vehicle and used as a power source for a vehicle driving motor.
To prevent water or the like generated by a chemical reaction from causing corrosion, portions of components used for the fuel cell is required to have corrosion resistance. For example, a separator (fuel cell separator) used for the fuel cell may be subjected to a surface treatment for enhancing the corrosion resistance. As such, there have been proposed various types of technologies related to the surface treatment of the fuel cell separator.
For example, Japanese Patent Publication JP-A 2007-12300 (Patent Reference 1) describes a technology of forming a resin coat on a surface of a separator in order to enhance the corrosion resistance of the separator.
Japanese Patent Publication JP-A 2001-68129 (Patent Reference 2) discloses a technology of sealing pin holes in a corrosion resistant film formed on a surface of a separator with a resin, and Publication JP-A 2002-63914 (Patent Reference 3) discloses a technology of forming a multilayer coat comprising a base material coat, a noble metal coat and a carbon material coat on a surface of a separator.    Patent Reference 1: JP-A 2007-12300 (KOKAI)    Patent Reference 2: JP-A 2001-68129 (KOKAI)    Patent Reference 3: JP-A 2002-63914 (KOKAI)